Coming Home
by Rellik 01011993
Summary: Oliver visits Laurel after he returns from the island to find surprising changes to her life.
1. Chapter 1

Oliver stared at the pictures on Laurel's wall. All smiles and happiness and love. All with a man Oliver didn't recognise. He was teaching her how to play pool in one photo. In another he had his arm around her shoulders, holding her close, surrounded by a group of friends. There were more strangers in that photo. A wedding photo. And the one that really caught his eye; a photo of Laurel in a hospital gown; warn out and tired, but smiling with such love at the little bundle in her arms. The man was standing beside her with his arm around them both. Another photo with another baby and a toddler beside – she had two kids.

"So…ah…you're a mum…" he stumbled over his words; he hadn't been prepared for this. When Tommy had told him to leave her alone, he hadn't thought this would be the reason why.

Laurel glanced over her shoulder at the pictures on the wall, a gentle smile on her lips. "Yeah, I'm a mum. Johnny just turned two and Mary is almost crawling." She saw the confusion on Oliver's face and knew that he couldn't understand the name choice, such apparently bland names, but Laurel knew that they were far from bland. "Dean's dad passed away several years ago, so we named Johnny for him. His mum…his mum died when Dean was four, Mary is named for her. Good people, strong people."

"Laurel? Where'd you put the coffee container…" the tall man walking out of the kitchen let his words fade out when he saw Oliver.

"That does not look like your husband…" Oliver mumbled to Laurel. The idea of her being married had hurt, but she was cheating on the guy? That disappointed Oliver.

Laurel's eyebrow lifted. "No, that looks like Sam – my brother-in-law. Come in Oliver, and we'll get you caught up on things." She stepped back and let him inside. "Sam, the coffee is where it lives, in the cupboard. It's not my fault it never gets a chance to be put away when Dean is home."

Sam chuckled as he turned to go back into the kitchen. "You want anything Laurel? Cup of tea?" she shook her head and went into the living room. "Oliver? You want a drink?" Oliver startled at the use of his name and then remembered he had been all over the television. Everyone knew his name and his face.

He shook his head and mumbled a polite "no thank you" before following Laurel. She was shifting toys into a box at the end of the couch and folding up a blanket from the floor. There was a cry from one of the rooms and Laurel went to check on her daughter. Sam came into the room, carrying a cup of coffee and studying Oliver intently.

"Dean will cover this again when he gets back, but I thought I'd let you know I'm beside him. If you hurt Laurel in any way, you'll answer to Dean and I. We've had shitty lives up to this point, Dean's more so than mine, and Laurel is the first good thing to stay with him. We protect that woman with our lives, do you understand?" he spoke quietly, and his face seemed serene, but Oliver knew it was a strong threat. He would carry through on his words.


	2. Chapter 2

The door opened, startling Oliver into standing and spinning to face the doorway. Before he could react any further, the toddler on Laurel's lap sprinted over to the door. "Daddy!"

If Oliver had seen him in the street he would not have thought the man would be the kind to sweep his son into his arms as soon as he walked into the room, but that's exactly what he did. "Hey kiddo, you been good for your Momma?" Dean asked, dropping his bag on the kitchen counter before heading to Laurel.

Oliver had no doubt that Dean had noticed him the moment he walked in, but was simply choosing to ignore him until he had greeted his family. "Hi honey, the kids been behaving for you?" he asked after dropping a kiss on the crown of Laurel's head.

Laurel smiled up at him. "You know they have. Now, sit down and catch up with Sam, I'll make you some dinner." When he opened his mouth to protest, Laurel's raised eyebrow cut him off. "You've been doing god knows what for three days and you're exhausted, let me fix you some dinner."

He scowled at her but fell into the recliner, still holding Johnny. "Sup Sammy? How's work treating you?" he asked intently, bouncing the knee that Johnny was on, who was pretending he was on a horse.

Sam nodded. "Work is the same as always, not too much longer and I should be able to take some time off to help you out on occasion." Dean's eyes darkened and Oliver could tell that Dean didn't want his little brother involved in whatever it was that had him coming home late at night, obviously exhausted. "You been seeing the news? Oliver Queen returned from the dead..."

Finally, Dean turned haunted green eyes to Oliver who couldn't help that his face paled. He knew those eyes. "Oliver, good to see you again man." Dean nodded calmly, waving at the couch Oliver had been sitting in, indicating he wanted the man to relax.

"Wait...you know him?" Sam asked in confusion. "He was missing when we came to town, Dean, how on earth can you know him?"

"Purgatory." Dean said by way of explanation. Oliver watched in amazement as Sam's jaw dropped in shock and he turned to stare at Oliver. "Though he didn't realise that's where we were at the time. How are you doing man? Adjusting ok to being back?" He turned his attention back to Oliver.

Oliver nodded slowly. "It's...strange, to be back and to be _Oliver Queen_ again. Everyone expects me to be the same as I was when I left, but I'm not. Not anymore."

Dean nodded in understanding. "Don't worry man, it gets easier. And people realise after a while that of course you've changed. They'll get their heads around it eventually."

"Ah...Dean? Oliver is the guy that Laurel was seeing, years ago..." Sam offered quietly, not wanting to cause a rift between Dean and anyone he felt comradery with, but knowing his brother needed to know this. Needed to get this out of the way so he could continue on with Oliver as he had been.

"Huh," Dean grunted in surprise. "I knew you were a ladies man, but I didn't think you were a complete dog Oliver." He stared calmly at the man he had come to call a friend during their time together in Purgatory. "We're friends, that ain't ever going to change, but if you hurt Laurel in any way...Purgatory will seem like a cake-walk."

When Oliver only nodded in response, Sam took it upon himself to break the awkward silence. "Why didn't you say you knew Dean before? I know you saw all the photos..."

Oliver shrugged. "He looked so different in Purgatory I didn't recognise him, not til I saw his eyes in person..." He frowned in confusion. "You knew it was me straight away, how'd you do that?"

Dean shrugged carelessly. "Purgatory isn't the only place I've been man. These days...I see through a person to their soul. That's what we were in Purgatory, just our souls."

"So you came back from the island and...what? Went looking for Laurel?" Oliver asked quietly, he felt as if Dean had gone looking for her on purpose.

Dean shook his head. "Nah man...she ah, she found me. I hadn't been back for long when I wound up here on a job. Got busted up pretty good and I was making my way back to the motel when Laurel spotted me. Wouldn't let me go to the motel, insisted on driving me to the hospital." Oliver watched in stunned silence as haunted green eyes lit up with love and hope. In all the time Oliver had known him, he had never seen Dean's eyes light up like that. Sure, he loved his brother and his friends, but he was always protector first, then giver of comfort and then occasionally receiving comfort.

Oliver smiled, happy to see Dean so happy. "Yeah, she always was stubborn. I'm glad for you man, you deserve to be happy." Sam watched the interaction silently, obviously shocked at the outcome.

Dean smiled tiredly at Oliver. "Thanks Oli, I appreciate that. I...I didn't abandon you on purpose by the way. Cas pulled me out and dumped me back in the world before I could say a word. Been trying to find a way to bust you and Benny out ever since."

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I thought something must have happened to you for you to just disappear like that. I was hoping you got out and hadn't died."

Laurel came back in with a bowl of spaghetti. "Did I hear right? You two were in Purgatory together?" She asked Dean softly, sitting on the recliner next to his and taking Johnny from him before handing him his dinner.

Dean nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food before answering. "Yeah, Benny and Oli were the only reason I came out with my head still relatively ok. Without those two...I would have come back a monster." He could see Sam about to speak and shook his head. "Hell was hard, but I knew where the threats would come from. But Purgatory? It doesn't matter which way you turn, there's something there that could eat you if it's hungry at the time."

Oliver's eyes widened. "Woah, you were in _Hell_? As in, demons and devils?" He asked quietly, staring at Dean.

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "Way before Purgatory. And it's demons and _Lucifer_ , not demons and devils." He corrected absentmindedly before turning back to his dinner. "This tastes great by the way honey."

"Daddy?" Johnny piped up, waiting for Dean to turn to him. "Can we play cars tomorrow? Mommy said we could play cars when you came home."

Dean's smile was bright, always shocked and overjoyed when his son asked to spend time with him. "Of course we can kiddo! After your breakfast though alright?"


End file.
